Frigate Prairial |
|
| Career (France) | |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Month of Prairial |
| Ordered: | 1989 |
| Builder: | Chantiers de l'Atlantique |
| Laid down: | 11 September 1990 |
| Launched: | 16 March 1991 |
| Commissioned: | 20 May 1992 |
| Homeport: | Tahiti |
| Status: | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Floréal class frigate |
| Displacement: | 2600 tonnes (2950 tonnes full load) |
| Length: | 93.5 m (307 ft) |
| Beam: | |
| Draught: | 4.4 m (14 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
Engines : 4 diesel SEMT Pielstick 6PA6 L280 |
| Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Range: | 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), 13,000 nautical miles (24,000 km; 15,000 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Boats and landing craft carried: |
ETN 90 (Embarcation de Transport en Nombre) |
| Complement: |
11 officers |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Radar:
Navigation
|
| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
ARBG-1A Saïgon |
| Armament: |
2 Exocet MM38 missiles |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 Panther helicopter |
The Prairial is a light monitoring frigate ("frégate de surveillance") of the French Marine Nationale. She is the second ship of the Floréal class, and the second French warship named after the ninth month of the Republican Calendar.
She was built in the beginning of the 1990s by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint Nazaire. She is currently based in Tahiti. Although categorised as a surveillance ship, she armed with two anti-ship Exocet missiles and a 100 mm gun. She is also furbished with 35 extra berths for marines.
Prairial was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce from 16 October to 29 November 1999.[1]
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